REVIEW:
“Redemption” is both the finale of The Mandalorian and the best episode of the season. Taika Waititi’s self-assured, clear-eyed direction benefits from what came before, certainly: he’s wrapping up the story of Mando and Baby Yoda’s pursuit by the formidable Moff Gideon. Waititi brings his hallmark humor as well as an excellent sense of space. Even the bar and the Mandalorian enclave we’ve seen before gain new dimensions and depth. The dialogue is charming, and fans will find Star Wars Expanded Universe references aplenty in this very entertaining episode.
When last we saw our heroes, they were besieged in the bounty hunters’ bar, pinned down by Moff Gideon and his stormtroopers. The episode lets them stew in there for a little while with an opening scene perfectly suited to Waititi. (Note that this episode, like most of them, was written by Jon Favreau.) The dialogue is funny and casual, with stormtroopers bantering about Baby Yoda and failing miserably to hit a target when doing some target practice out of boredom. Just when it begins to feel like everyone will speak in banter that feels a little too much like contemporary Star Wars memes, Moff Gideon shows up with elevated, careful rhetoric. Impressively, each character in the episode speaks distinctly.
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